The art of latches for refrigerator doors is well developed, it being common practice for such latches to be operable both in the normal way by means of an exterior handle and from the interior of the door to which the latch is affixed. In general, such latches can be released from the interior of the cabinet even when the latch is locked so far as operability by the exterior handle is concerned. In fact, such latches are generally provided with a tumbler or cam lock and an opening through which the hasp of a padlock can be inserted. As is obvious, a safety release is necessary to provide for escape of a workman from the interior of the cabinet should the latch be locked, either inadvertently or maliciously with an individual inside the cabinet.
Although a wide variety of mechanisms for such latches have been devised, there are still difficulties to overcome. One of these stems from the fact that the safety release generally includes a pushrod passing through a channel in the door. Water vapor can enter this channel and can freeze on contact with the pushrod, forming frost crystals which can interfere with the operation of the safety release. Also, since the temperature of the rod where it makes contact with the latch may also be below freezing, water vapor can freeze out at the opening in the latch housing through which the rod penetrates into the interior thereof. As is evident, these difficulties can lead to malfunction of the safety release feature. In addition, it has been found desirable to attempt to improve the latch mechanism with a view to increasing the life of the latch. Finally, conventional latches are neither operable from a distance nor can they be used to operate external mechanisms such as a vent port. Operation of a vent port in conjunction with operation of a latch mechanism is a highly desirable feature since it facilitates opening of the door. The present invention is designed to overcome the above disadvantages and provide the electrical features described.